It is conventional in institutions, such as hospitals and hotels, to transport soiled laundry to laundry facilities, remove it from the laundry cart, and launder it. The transportation of such soiled laundry is accomplished using various laundry cart devices. Unfortunately, as the laundry cart passes through doorways and confined hallways, the inevitable size of the laundry cart usually leads to bumping, scratching, marring, and damage to the walls and doorways of the institution. When carts hit walls, doors, and equipment, they can cause severe damage and incur more expenses for the institution annually. Most transportation carts are built to last, but not built to protect the walls and décor of the institution. There is a need in the art for a laundry cart having bumpers or resilient corners that can help prevent damage to the walls and doorways in institutions.
Known carts for laundry include a body having walls defining an interior with an opening defined at a top of the body for placing laundry into or removing laundry from the cart interior. It is known that the body may be comprised of multiple configurations, such as, but not limited to, a unitary blow-molded piece, a removable tub, or a removable hamper bag. In the case of a removable hamper bag, the base is typically comprised of a wooden pallet base with wire framing extending upwardly from the pallet base to seat the hamper bag. Although these carts served their intended purpose, there is a need in the art for a more durable laundry cart. For instance, the wooden pallet base tends to weaken with constant pounding due to overuse and excessive loading and unloading. The metal wire framing also weakens at the joints. Typically, there are two types of attachment means of the metal framing to the base, either welding or removable attachments, such as screws or the like. Both attachments occur at the base; however, due to the L-shaped design of the post making up the metal wire frame, the posts lose strength over time due to loosening at their joints, which is caused by a shearing effect at the bend.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a laundry cart that is easy to assemble. The assembly of the cart should not require special tools nor should it require excessive strength. The assembled cart should be robust in construction, and should minimize damage to a building structure from rubbing against walls and movement during ordinary use.